EDITORIAL : THE DAWN, PAKISTAN

Clinton`s response

HILLARY Clinton`s statement on the Mehran attack deserves to be noted. Addressing a press conference with British Foreign Secretary William Hague in London on Monday, the American secretary of state seemed to show an understanding of Pakistan`s burgeoning problems when she said Islamabad had hard choices to make. She spoke both of Pakistan`s economic problems and the “threat it faces from internal violence”. She acknowledged that the arrest of many wanted terrorists would not have been possible without Islamabad`s cooperation. Even though Ms Clinton was speaking in the aftermath of Sunday`s devastating attack on PNS Mehran, her views cannot be de-linked from the larger picture of US-Pakistan relations after the raid to take out Osama bin Laden. The shock in Pakistan over the solo American action, the embarrassment caused to our security forces, which were caught napping, and repeated American vows that Washington would continue to mount more such raids have caused strained relations. Yet, notwithstanding the overreaction from legislators and media on both sides, Islamabad and Washington have managed not to allow the crisis to spin out of control and have vowed to work together.

From the American point of view, the “hard choices” Ms Clinton spoke of relate to the `do more` refrain that has been a consistent feature of America`s diplomatic rhetoric while dealing with Pakistan since the Bush days. In specific terms, this means cracking down on terrorist sanctuaries, especially those believed to be in North Waziristan, which the US believes have not received enough attention from Pakistan`s security forces. Islamabad has its own set of complaints, which include Washington`s inability, if not refusal, to understand Pakistan`s problems, because its military resources are overstretched, and it cannot undertake more Swat-like operations without endangering its wider security concerns which have both internal and external dimensions. More importantly, religious extremism is a philosophy which cannot be combated by military means alone.

Nevertheless, the PNS Mehran shame and the Shabqadar suicide attack on FC recruits show that the war on terror is Pakistan`s own war which it cannot afford to abandon. However, for the world community to help Pakistan in this endeavour, Islamabad has to set its own house in order. The dual shame of the May 2 raid and the Mehran disaster has exposed loopholes in Pakistan` security apparatus and served to highlight the gross inadequacy of our intelligence system to both foreigners and those at home. The chaos in the domestic scene and the absence of strong democratic institutions cancel out international sympathy for us and reinforce scepticism in our ability to use aid for the right purpose.

Gangs of Karachi

US DIPLOMATIC cables released by WikiLeaks have confirmed what the residents of Karachi have known for long. Armed gangs hold sway over many parts of the city, engaging in extortion, land grabbing, political assassinations and a myriad array of other crimes both heinous and relatively less brutal in nature. The assessment, made by former US consul general Stephen Fakan in 2009, places particular emphasis on the activities of the PPP, Muttahida Qaumi Movement, ANP, Mohajir Qaumi Movement, Sunni Tehrik, Lyari gangs and “Pashtun terrorists”. It also asserts that “The police are only one of several armed groups [in Karachi] and probably not the most numerous or best equipped”. This, tragically, has been the reality in Karachi for several decades, dating back to at least the mid-1980s. Since then, we have witnessed political, sectarian and ethnic strife as well as a surge in armed criminal activity in a city that has grown increasingly weaponised over time. In short, Karachi has been held hostage by armed thugs for years now. Hundreds of people have lost their lives, daily-wage earners are often unable to work and put food on the table and industry too has suffered. It seems that the periodic peaceful lulls are destined to be broken by another spell of violence. Is that to be the perennial fate of people trying to make an honest living in Pakistan`s commercial powerhouse?

Many will agree that the armed gangs who operate almost at will are better equipped than the police. There are several reasons for this shortcoming. One, most powerful criminals enjoy the backing of one political organisation or the other, making the job of the police difficult if not hazardous for reasons of fear, expediency or personal profit. Then it should also be taken into account that an already overstretched force, instead of focusing on crime, is made to divert significant resources towards security details for VIPs. On the whole though this a political problem and the answer lies in a political settlement and a call for deweaponisation. All stakeholders must get together and hammer out a solution once and for all.

Clinging to power

YEMENI strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh`s decision to back out of a deal that was supposed to see him peacefully step down from the beleaguered country`s presidency shows that even after three decades in the driving seat, he is not ready to relinquish power. His last-minute decision to back out of the deal, mediated by the Gulf Cooperation Council with US blessings, translated into violence on the streets of Sana`a on Monday as pro- and anti-Saleh factions traded heavy fire. Yemen has been in the midst of turmoil for the past three months, ever since protesters, inspired by the `Arab Spring`, started their movement for democratic reform. Meanwhile, in the Levant the situation is just as grave as Syrian ruler Bashar Al Assad also refuses to budge. The fact that the EU has clamped sanctions on Mr Assad and other leading figures in the Syrian regime is unlikely to make much of a difference. Human rights groups claim the Baathist regime has butchered hundreds of protesters, while the Syrian government says protesters have killed over 100 security men. It is hard to verify the grisly figures coming out of Syria as the government has barred independent media from the country.

Clearly, the Middle East requires the international community`s greater attention. Until now, there have been only statements from western leaders, along with traditional silence from the Arab and Muslim worlds. Pressure needs to be applied by the world upon these rulers to try and ensure peaceful, democratic solutions to these crises. Perhaps a regional approach will best be suited to resolving the issues; the GCC should keep up its efforts for a negotiated transfer of power in Yemen while the Arab League should take the lead in defusing the Syrian crisis. The result of watching in silence may be greater turmoil in an already volatile region.